I thank the member for that question. This is exactly what we predicted was going to happen when the federal government made a unilateral decision to cut the number of seats for our colleges and universities—no discussions with the colleges and universities sector and none with the provinces at all.

Mr. Speaker, that’s why this government has stepped up in providing $1.3 billion in funding. The historic investment—the largest investment that’s been made in over 10 years. We’re going to ensure that our schools remain sustainable for years to come.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The bill amends the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act with respect to colleges of applied arts and technology, and publicly assisted universities. The amendments include the following:

(1) Every college and university is required to have a student mental health policy that describes the programs, policies, services and supports available at the college or university in respect of student mental health;

(2) Every college and university is required to have policies and rules to address and combat racism and hate, including, but not limited to, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia; and

(3) The minister is authorized to issue directives in relation to the information to be provided about the costs associated with attending a college or university.

Mr. Rakocevic moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 167, An Act to proclaim Orthodox Christian Week / Projet de loi 167, Loi proclamant la Semaine des chrétiens orthodoxes.

The Court of Appeal dismissed Canada Christian College’s appeal, and the ministry is pleased with the court’s decision. There is no further comment on the matter at this time.

I will comment, though: PEQAB submitted their report, and the minister of the day accepted that report and the recommendation for the college to not receive their university status.

This government will stand up against all forms of hate and ensure that all students feel safe on their campuses.

PEQAB submitted their report and the recommendation to not give university status to the college, and the Court of Appeal dismissed Canada Christian College’s appeal. There’s no further comment on the matter at this time.

Thank you to the member for that question. Actually, after question period, I’m heading down to the college fair, and I’ll be meeting with students, faculty and colleges but also with our team from OSAP and hearing directly from those folks who are working on the ground, dealing directly with students.

What’s interesting is, under the former Liberal government, this province had the highest tuition in Canada, but it was our Premier who said, “No more.” In 2018, we decreased tuition by 10%. We want tuition to be affordable for all students across the province, and that’s why we continued to freeze that tuition. And we’ve kept OSAP as a needs-based assessment, so that students in 10, 15, 20 years will have access to the OSAP system. In 2021 alone, we invested $4.2 billion in direct aid to 385,000 full-time students, with 80% of Ontario’s funding provided as grants, opposed to the 54% of federal student support.

Thank you to the member for that very important question. When it comes to preparing students for rewarding careers and supporting Ontario’s economy, our colleges will never settle for second best. In fact, IBT College, who I introduced earlier, has just returned home after winning the digital innovation in learning award for their work in creating micro-credentials that utilize augmented reality and virtual reality at the PIEoneer Awards in London, UK. Congratulations, team.

Across the province, our colleges are working with employers to identify current and future labour market needs that will not only result in great careers but will continue to drive Ontario’s economic success. Our presidents, faculty, staff and, of course, our students know that they need to keep Ontario on top, and our government is here to support them every step of the way. When schools needed shorter approval times to offer new programs so students could get the education they deserved, we reduced the wait times for a new program from three years down to six months. When students wanted more opportunities to further their education at home, we created new and affordable pathways to upskill their education.

Thank you to the great member for that question.

Yes, I would love to provide an update on the Learn and Stay program. I’ve had the opportunity to speak about this exciting grant on several occasions in the House and how it will directly address the health care challenges Ontario is facing.

On May 16, at Georgian College in Owen Sound, alongside Minister Jones and MPP Byers, we announced the launch of applications for the new Ontario Learn and Stay Grant. Incentivizing students to study and work in the sector will not only alleviate the health care strain and bring stability to underserved communities, but it will also steer students in the direction of meaningful careers.

Speaker, I am pleased to report that to date, as of 9 a.m. this morning, we have had 4,135 students start or complete the application to the Learn and Stay program. This outstanding number proves that students are eager to begin lifelong careers in the health care sector.

Unlike previous governments, this government is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting students in every way possible, to support our—

Thank you to the member for that great question.

Growing up in a family of plumbers, I witnessed first-hand the importance of tradespeople and the value that they contribute to the local community.

Our government is committed to addressing labour shortages head-on, and that starts with post-secondary education. That is why we continue to advocate and promote our Ontario colleges’ skilled trades and apprenticeship programs across the province. To further enhance opportunities for college students to enter the workforce with job-ready skills, our government expanded the degrees that colleges can offer to now include new, three-year degrees and more four-year degrees in applied areas of study. Our government also invested $60 million of funding to support Ontario’s first micro-credentials strategy and expanded OSAP to ensure that they are eligible, to help workers retain and upgrade their skills.

As Ontario faces a growing labour shortage in the skilled trades, we are making the necessary adjustments for students to enter skilled trades programs, because when you have a job in the trades, you have a reliable career for life.

I rise again this afternoon to introduce some of our college presidents who have joined us here today for colleges day at Queen’s Park. I promised I wouldn’t list all 24 this morning, but I do have some guests here.

I’m also delighted to welcome Linda Franklin to the House, and it is with mixed emotions that I share that this is Linda’s last colleges day. After 16 years of leading Colleges Ontario as the president and CEO, Linda Franklin, who I know many of you know, will be retiring at the end of this month.

Thank you, Linda, for your strong leadership and tireless dedication to the sector and to Ontario’s college students the past 16 years. I wish you all the best on your well-deserved retirement.

I’d also like to welcome Claude Brulé from Algonquin College, Shawn Poland from Cambrian, Gervan Fearon from George Brown, Rob Kardas from Lambton, Sean Kennedy from Niagara College, Audrey Penner from Northern College, Ron Common from Sault College, and Mark Kirkpatrick from Loyalist College.

Thank you for being here today—and again, welcome to everyone to join the reception this evening.

Thank you to the member for being a great advocate for St. Clair College. Over the coming months, the blue-ribbon panel will conduct research and consultations with key stakeholders about the actions Ontario can take to improve the financial sustainability of the post-secondary sector to support colleges and universities in developing a skilled workforce and to promote economic growth and innovation. Specifically, the panel members will work to provide advice on how we can enhance the student experience and increase access to education, reward excellence within the sector, improve labour market alignment and find ways to keep education affordable for students and their families. This will help support the quality, accessibility and sustainability of the post-secondary education sector now and into the future so learners can continue to get the skills and education needed to get good jobs and meet labour market needs.

Again, I’d like to congratulate the men’s basketball team from St. Clair College on their recent gold medal win.

Our post-secondary institutions and research institutions are important sources of job creation, skills training, research, innovation, commercialization and obviously great athletes as well, making them leading contributors to our overall economic growth.

I am thrilled to stand up today to talk about what our government is doing to support the sector and our students, including launching our new blue-ribbon panel. Announced last week, the blue-ribbon panel will provide advice and recommendations for keeping the post-secondary education sector financially stable and focused on providing the best student experience possible. Led by Dr. Alan Harrison and an incredible group of panel members, this team will support my ministry in keeping Ontario’s post-secondary institutions on stable footing, now and into the future. As we all know, Ontario’s institutions—like St. Clair College in the member’s region—support the province’s economy in a number of ways, including by preparing people for the labour market, engaging in research and supporting the prosperity of local communities.

Investing in the future of Ontario’s health care system starts with providing a high-calibre education for those who want to work on the front lines. Earlier this year we announced our expansion of the Learn and Stay grant, a key component of Ontario’s plan to stay open. I’m happy to say that the Georgian College, Owen Sound Campus is part of this program.

The grant, which we announced in March 2022 for students who enrol in nursing programs, has now expanded to include paramedic and medical laboratory technologist programs in priority communities. Eligible students will receive full, upfront funding for tuition, books and other direct educational costs in return for working and caring for people in the region where they studied for a term of service after they graduate.

Grant applications for the 2023-24 academic year opened this spring, targeting 2,500 eligible students at over 20 institutions. Right now, students can go online and see a full list of eligible schools and programs on the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant website and learn more about how they can apply.

Thank you again to the member for the question.

The remarkable and inspiring graduates of Ontario’s world-class colleges show how our colleges are preparing students with the skills, the knowledge and experience they need to have rewarding careers, supporting the workforce of today and tomorrow.

The Premier’s Awards for Ontario College Graduates recognize individuals who have not only demonstrated outstanding achievement within their college experience but who have also made significant social and economic contributions to their communities and beyond. Their incredible achievements—from developing career-training programs for young Black professionals to adding Canada’s Indigenous communities to Google Maps and Google Earth—are helping to strengthen our economy and make very real and tangible differences in the lives of Ontarians. The recipients of the Premier’s Awards for Ontario College Graduates are perfect examples of the potential our college students have and why we should all have confidence in every student’s future.

Speaker, college students are making a lasting impact, and we are so proud of what these incredible young Ontarians are accomplishing.

Thank you to the member from Brampton West for his question. I had the honour of presenting the Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award to two outstanding leaders who continue to make a lasting difference in Ontario’s public colleges. The 2022 recipients are Anne Sado, the former president of George Brown College—Anne was also the first female president of a college—and MaryLynn West-Moynes, former president and CEO of Georgian College, and also my former boss, so I know first-hand the amazing leadership that MaryLynn provides to Georgian College.

These two exceptional women deserve recognition for their hard work, dedication and contributions on advancing Ontario’s colleges. By acting as ambassadors of the college system, they have made a lasting mark on post-secondary education in our province. It was truly an honour to present them with the lifetime achievement awards.

Every measure we put in place, the opposition votes against it—doom and gloom every single day.

But what we’re seeing is a record number of applications to be nurses in colleges and universities across Ontario—25,000 applications right here, post-secondary education in Ontario. And why is that? That’s because of the investments we’re making in long-term care and the Ministry of Health—58,000 new and upgraded beds in long-term care; $40-billion capital investments over 52 projects that will add 3,000 new beds over the next 10 years; new hospitals in Brampton, in Windsor, in Niagara Falls.

Students want to become nurses, and the post-secondary education opportunities right here in Ontario are driving those students to those opportunities.

Thank you to the member from Markham–Thornhill for that question. I, too, was encouraged to see the reports that applicants to nursing programs are up in both college and university programs by 25% since the 2018-19 school year. Speaker, that translates to more than 13,000 students who applied to a university program and more than 12,000 students who applied to a college program right here in Ontario.

Our government has been working hard to address the gap in health care professions through innovative programs like our three-year college degrees and our new Learn and Stay program. Over the next four years, the Learn and Stay program will help over 3,000 nursing graduates receive financial support to cover the cost of tuition in exchange for committing to practise for two years in an underserved community.

We have created 14 new programs at colleges and universities across Ontario, allowing thousands of students to have greater choice and flexibility in accessing high-quality and local education.

This record number of applications demonstrates that the work we are doing to increase the number of students entering nursing and health care professions is working, and we’ll continue to look for innovative ways.

Through the Bridging Educational Grant in Nursing—this is a nearly $100-million investment that will support the upskilling and training of PSWs and RPNs. This program will increase access to nursing programs and create an additional 500 spaces for enrolment in our bridging program this year. And through our fall economic statement, we announced an investment of nearly $342 million over the next five years to add over 5,000 registered practical nurses and 8,000 personal support workers.

Thank you to the member for that question. It’s true: We have hired thousands of health care workers, and we have thousands of students now wanting to enter the nursing profession. Today’s report showed 25,000 students wanting to enter the nursing profession in Ontario’s publicly funded colleges and universities, world-class—

Interjections.

Thank you to the member for that question. We recognize how vital nurses are to the health care system. That is why this government has made changes to nursing education in Ontario, by allowing colleges to offer stand-alone nursing programs. There are 14 colleges in Ontario that, this fall, will now be able to start offering this program: colleges like Loyalist College in Belleville and Georgian College in my area. Do you know what that means to these communities? Students will have the option to train and practise in those communities where they may be underserved with nurses.

We’ve made incredible investments in nursing education. The stand-alone was only one of those. The Learn and Stay program for nurses in underserved and rural communities is an opportunity for nurses to have their tuition and all educational expenses covered, in exchange for two years in an underserved community.

We are doing many measures to increase the number of nurses in Ontario and give students the opportunity to enter this fabulous profession.